FrankTrollman wrote:Basic tests are called for whenever it is important to what degree the character succeeds or fails on the task.
You mostly seem to be using italics for reserved game words. The sort with a defination in the glossary. Here you have 'important' itallicised for emphasis. You should stick with one or the other, it makes it easier for new players to know when they should look at the glossary.
That is a really good point. OK, from now on I'm reformating it so that glossary words are bolded and stressed words in sentences are italicized.
Supersonic combat aircraft are not in a chase if they are trying to get away, because they have open terrain and are several steps faster than the opposition. They just leave. That's not a chase. You don't "chase" a high speed train on foot once it has passed you. You just watch it recede into the distance.
On the flip side, a supersonic aircraft trying to chase Tony Hawk could very easily lose. It's going much faster than he is, but Tony Hawk can go through malls and double back and stuff. And that all has relatively little to do with relative speed. The aircraft gets the edge and wins ties because it can always catch up if it gets line of sight, but Tony Hawk is really skilled and can probably just outbid.
The key is what the chase minigame does. It doesn't decide who is moving faster, that's just movement rate. It decides whether someone can get away or prevent someone from getting away through stunts. But that only happens if the people in question are actually in the same ballpark. If a high speed train is blowing past you, you can stunt your way on to it. But if the train is receding in the distance, you doing flips isn't going to matter.
Similarly, you being really good with a knife does not actually allow you to cut down helicopters, because they are out of range. Although being an action hero does allow you to avoid being shot by said helicopter.
FrankTrollman wrote:That is a really good point. OK, from now on I'm reformating it so that glossary words are bolded and stressed words in sentences are italicized.
Works for me. Put a note to that effect in the intro, then hope people read the intro.
When you get nearer final editing can you post a list of glossary words so we can check they're all bolded more easily?
FrankTrollman wrote:That is a really good point. OK, from now on I'm reformating it so that glossary words are bolded and stressed words in sentences are italicized.
Works for me. Put a note to that effect in the intro, then hope people read the intro.
When you get nearer final editing can you post a list of glossary words so we can check they're all bolded more easily?
OK, serious question: should there be one glossary or two?
That is: "Fold" is a game term. It's when your opponent declared and made a bid in a challenge test and you decide to cut your losses by not attempting to call or raise. "ZR" is a world term. It's when a DD completely replaces your sensory feeds with artificial sensory information. Both of them need to be in a glossary.
Should there be an in-character glossary and and out-of-character glossary or just the one?
There migth be terms where its not clear to the specific reader if the term is in-game or OOG. So I would think one glossary is better/faster.
Red_Rob wrote:
I mean, I'm pretty sure the Mayans had a prophecy about what would happen if Frank and PL ever agreed on something. PL will argue with Frank that the sky is blue or grass is green, so when they both separately piss on your idea that is definitely something to think about.
Well, in order to make referencing easy, if you had two glossaries it would be best to have a way of marking which of the two glossaries the term was located in. That seems like a lot more hassle than just putting them both into one glossary. This is kind of a nuisance for people who're reading through the whole glossary to pick up in-world definitions when they already know all the gaming definitions, but that isn't how glossaries are typically used, so I'd recommend building it around what would be easiest to look things up with.
So how about something like this, where the glossary bolds all the words that people use in character and puts a bullet point on the terms that are game relevant but not in-world? Obviously, this glossary is not finished:
@man: Person who shifts their point of view into a robot or virtual space using a DD and a motor shunt. A (Asimov): The ability of a computer to follow programmed heuristics. What androids are limited to upon fabrication. AR (Augmented Reality): Virtual Reality sensations that are overlain onto real-world sensations. Astral Plane: The intangible but visible realm of auras that magic is channeled out of and through. Aura: The magical shadows that connect things in the physical world to the Astral Plane and to each other. B (Bradbury): The ability of a computer to simulate empathy by identifying the “heuristics” of others.
Basic Test: Basilisk Hack: Use of a DD to change the state of a person's brain against their will. Black Chip: A piece of hardware that has been modified or designed to exceed the regular limits for commercial systems.
Bonus Dice:
Bust: C (Clarke): The ability of a computer to logically predict future outcomes beyond that which can be brute force calculated with simple physics.
Call:
Challenge Test: Channeling: Drawing magical power through the Astral Plane Credit Module: D (Dick): The ability of a computer to question the reality of its own inputs and identify falsehoods and simulations. Demihuman: Someone who is an Asura, Deep One, Dwarf, Elf, Ogre, or other human-derived demitype. Sometimes used for any human-equivalent person such as Cauldron Born or Dragons. Demitype:
Dice Pool: DD (Deus Deceptor): Device that transmits sense data to a person. Driver: A piece of software that allows two pieces of hardware to work together. E (Ellison): A computer that has grown beyond its Dick to make unpredictable, personality based decisions is sapient and considered a SAI.
Fault:
Fault Pool:
Fault Stages:
Fault Threshold: Flashing: Use of holographic or sonic images to evoke physical effects on people.
Fold:
Hit: Local Network: The Network that can be reached “quickly”, without resorting to satellites or other bottlenecks. Magical Path: The way someone understands and interacts with magic.
Margin of Failure:
Margin of Success: Marker: An object with a strengthened aura contact used to target magic over physical distances. Mirror Network: The Network as it exists in a different city or communications space.
MC:
Net Faults:
Net Hits: The Network:
Open Test: Outside: A word referring to any of the different worlds that seem to connect to ours through the Astral Plane. Outsider: Something or someone that comes from Outside. Generally brought to our world through Conjuration. Paradigm: A scientific or pseudo-scientific path of math.
PC (Player Character):
Penalty Dice: Puppeteer: Puppetry:
Raise: Robot: SAI (Strong Artificial Intelligence): A computer capable of functioning at a human level, used as the brain of an android. To be a SAI, the device must have actually grown its Ellison, not merely be physically capable of doing so. Sack: A physical object or creature that has been prepared to be traded out for something or someone from the Outside. Scanner: A device that reads the contents of a person's brain. Skin Avatar:
Style:
Success Threshold:
Threat Test: Tradition: A magical path based on ancient wisdom or “newly discovered” ancient wisdom. Veracity: The amount of credence a piece of data is given Virtual Avatar: VR (Virtual Reality): WiFi: Short ranged wireless data sharing. The meat and potatoes of most Local Networks. ZR (Zhuangzi reality): Virtual Reality sensations that completely replace mundane senses.
Is it confusing to have D and DD both be computer terms having to do with perception and simulation? If so, maybe rename the deus deceptor to panurg or something.
^Probably not; 'D' would always be a 'Type-D' AI (presuming that the speaker doesn't want to say 'Dick'), while 'DD' is a bit of technical jargon dropped in such a place as to make it immediately obvious that you're referring to an interface, not an AI
Frank, that glossary is too noisy. Although it does not follow in-text conventions, I'd italicize in-character terms (treating them as foreign words) and leave game term in plain text.
If that does not distinguish words from descriptive text enough, then all terms should be bold and in-character terms also italicized.
Edit: Did a quick search-and-replace for comparison.
@man: Person who shifts their point of view into a robot or virtual space using a DD and a motor shunt. A (Asimov): The ability of a computer to follow programmed heuristics. What androids are limited to upon fabrication. AR (Augmented Reality): Virtual Reality sensations that are overlain onto real-world sensations. Astral Plane: The intangible but visible realm of auras that magic is channeled out of and through. Aura: The magical shadows that connect things in the physical world to the Astral Plane and to each other. B (Bradbury): The ability of a computer to simulate empathy by identifying the “heuristics” of others.
Basic Test: Basilisk Hack: Use of a DD to change the state of a person's brain against their will. Black Chip: A piece of hardware that has been modified or designed to exceed the regular limits for commercial systems.
Bonus Dice:
Bust: C (Clarke): The ability of a computer to logically predict future outcomes beyond that which can be brute force calculated with simple physics.
Call:
Challenge Test: Channeling: Drawing magical power through the Astral Plane Credit Module: D (Dick): The ability of a computer to question the reality of its own inputs and identify falsehoods and simulations. Demihuman: Someone who is an Asura, Deep One, Dwarf, Elf, Ogre, or other human-derived demitype. Sometimes used for any human-equivalent person such as Cauldron Born or Dragons. Demitype:
Dice Pool: DD (Deus Deceptor): Device that transmits sense data to a person. Driver: A piece of software that allows two pieces of hardware to work together. E (Ellison): A computer that has grown beyond its Dick to make unpredictable, personality based decisions is sapient and considered a SAI.
Fault:
Fault Pool:
Fault Stages:
Fault Threshold: Flashing: Use of holographic or sonic images to evoke physical effects on people.
Fold:
Hit: Local Network: The Network that can be reached “quickly”, without resorting to satellites or other bottlenecks. Magical Path: The way someone understands and interacts with magic.
Margin of Failure:
Margin of Success: Marker: An object with a strengthened aura contact used to target magic over physical distances. Mirror Network: The Network as it exists in a different city or communications space.
MC:
Net Faults:
Net Hits: The Network:
Open Test: Outside: A word referring to any of the different worlds that seem to connect to ours through the Astral Plane. Outsider: Something or someone that comes from Outside. Generally brought to our world through Conjuration. Paradigm: A scientific or pseudo-scientific path of math.
PC (Player Character):
Penalty Dice: Puppeteer: Puppetry:
Raise: Robot: SAI (Strong Artificial Intelligence): A computer capable of functioning at a human level, used as the brain of an android. To be a SAI, the device must have actually grown its Ellison, not merely be physically capable of doing so. Sack: A physical object or creature that has been prepared to be traded out for something or someone from the Outside. Scanner: A device that reads the contents of a person's brain. Skin Avatar:
Style:
Success Threshold:
Threat Test: Tradition: A magical path based on ancient wisdom or “newly discovered” ancient wisdom. Veracity: The amount of credence a piece of data is given Virtual Avatar: VR (Virtual Reality): WiFi: Short ranged wireless data sharing. The meat and potatoes of most Local Networks. ZR (Zhuangzi reality): Virtual Reality sensations that completely replace mundane senses.
@man: Person who shifts their point of view into a robot or virtual space using a DD and a motor shunt. A (Asimov): The ability of a computer to follow programmed heuristics. What androids are limited to upon fabrication. AR (Augmented Reality): Virtual Reality sensations that are overlain onto real-world sensations. Astral Plane: The intangible but visible realm of auras that magic is channeled out of and through. Aura: The magical shadows that connect things in the physical world to the Astral Plane and to each other. B (Bradbury): The ability of a computer to simulate empathy by identifying the “heuristics” of others. Basic Test: Basilisk Hack: Use of a DD to change the state of a person's brain against their will. Black Chip: A piece of hardware that has been modified or designed to exceed the regular limits for commercial systems. Bonus Dice: Bust: C (Clarke): The ability of a computer to logically predict future outcomes beyond that which can be brute force calculated with simple physics. Call: Challenge Test: Channeling: Drawing magical power through the Astral Plane Credit Module: D (Dick): The ability of a computer to question the reality of its own inputs and identify falsehoods and simulations. Demihuman: Someone who is an Asura, Deep One, Dwarf, Elf, Ogre, or other human-derived demitype. Sometimes used for any human-equivalent person such as Cauldron Born or Dragons. Demitype: Dice Pool: DD (Deus Deceptor): Device that transmits sense data to a person. Driver: A piece of software that allows two pieces of hardware to work together. E (Ellison): A computer that has grown beyond its Dick to make unpredictable, personality based decisions is sapient and considered a SAI. Fault: Fault Pool: Fault Stages: Fault Threshold: Flashing: Use of holographic or sonic images to evoke physical effects on people. Fold: Hit: Local Network: The Network that can be reached “quickly”, without resorting to satellites or other bottlenecks. Magical Path: The way someone understands and interacts with magic. Margin of Failure: Margin of Success: Marker: An object with a strengthened aura contact used to target magic over physical distances. Mirror Network: The Network as it exists in a different city or communications space. MC: Net Faults: Net Hits: The Network: Open Test: Outside: A word referring to any of the different worlds that seem to connect to ours through the Astral Plane. Outsider: Something or someone that comes from Outside. Generally brought to our world through Conjuration. Paradigm: A scientific or pseudo-scientific path of math. PC (Player Character): Penalty Dice: Puppeteer: Puppetry: Raise: Robot: SAI (Strong Artificial Intelligence): A computer capable of functioning at a human level, used as the brain of an android. To be a SAI, the device must have actually grown its Ellison, not merely be physically capable of doing so. Sack: A physical object or creature that has been prepared to be traded out for something or someone from the Outside. Scanner: A device that reads the contents of a person's brain. Skin Avatar: Style: Success Threshold: Threat Test: Tradition: A magical path based on ancient wisdom or “newly discovered” ancient wisdom. Veracity: The amount of credence a piece of data is given Virtual Avatar: VR (Virtual Reality): WiFi: Short ranged wireless data sharing. The meat and potatoes of most Local Networks. ZR (Zhuangzi reality): Virtual Reality sensations that completely replace mundane senses.
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France
Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.
-Josh Kablack
Yeah, the AI categories shouldn't be "D" they should be "D-class" or "D-type" or something.
As to splitting up In Game and Game Mechanic terms, the DnD 3e/3.5 glossary doesn't do that and it works out fine. That might be just because there aren't too many In Game terms compared to the number of Game Mechanic terms, but it probably works even at 50/50 or other ratios.
EDIT: in fact, every term that's a shortening of a longer thing, like ZR or DD or whatever should have the full length word as the start with the abbreviation being the part in parentheses. Again referencing the DnD Glossary, an example entry title would be Difficulty Class (DC) or Challenge Rating (CR).
Last edited by Lokathor on Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Paradigm: A scientific or pseudo-scientific path of math. "
As much as pseudo-scientific math would be hilarious I assume thats meant to be magic.
The alternate use of bullets and bold looks really odd, almost like the bold are subsections of the bullets.
I'm going to go against the grain and support two glossaries. Ideally people would read all of both. But for different reasons and probably at different times.
Catharz's suggestion sounds like it would be much easier on the eyes without losing any particular emphasis here. It's bolded in the text so that it stands out, but there's nothing for it to stand out from here, so no reason to keep it bolded.
There seems to be a bit of of disconnect between the long-form descriptions of computer intelligence and their glossary differences. When I read the long descriptions, it was clear that a computer was an Asimov or a Dick, but the glossary claims that those are things the computer has. Which usage did you intend?
DSMatticus wrote:I sort my leisure activities into a neat and manageable categorized hierarchy, then ignore it and dick around on the internet.
Wesley Street wrote:You don't need two glossaries and you don't need to differentiate between mechanical and setting terminology. It all works together.
The alternative is a rules-only volume with a glossary and a setting volume with a glossary.
That would be needlessly cumbersome. For example, there are clearly game-mechanical differences between an Asimov-class and an Ellison-class machine intelligence. Many of the rules are going to be heavily integrated into the setting. We don't want to go the Rifts route (where the rules for performing surgery to install cybernetics are described, in their entirety, under the heading for the Cyberdoc class) but since the magic and super-science in this game are essentially fictitious, it's not going to be possible to describe the game-mechanics without using in-game terms as a point of reference for what is talked about.
The issue is that every in-character term in the glossary is going to be used out of character, but many of the words that players use out of character are game mechanics that the characters do not actually interact with.
